I was at a LYS and the girl who worked there said she machine-washed almost all of her cotton yarn creations. So I wondered if this was really OK to do; the cotton yarns I've seen are marked hand-wash. Any of you guys have experience with this? Also, in particular I was wondering if this was OK for Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (80% cotton, 20% wool) - I assume not because of the wool content, but maybe one of you has tried.

YOu may be able to wash a lot of the stuff you knit in cotton in the wash... especially things like dish cloths, etc. If you MUST wash stuff in the machine I would suggest doing it on the gentle cycle with woolite. But I think I'd rather be safe than sorry... spending all that time, effort, and money on a fantastic creation, and then throwing it in the wash!!! With time the machine can really wear down clothing, for one... and just one freakish accident in the machine... I could just cringe at the thought!

I have machine washed (although not machine dryed) a sweater for my husband that I made out of Cotton Fleece--it turned out just fine. I agree with kristiface that you'd do best to at least start with a gentle cycle with woolite. I have a cotton & silk blend sweater than I machine wash _and_ dry--I think it's really improved the look of the garment, but that's just me.

When my daughter was about 5, I knit a sweater for her out of Sugar and Cream cotton yarn. I always put it in the washer and dryer. When she out grew it, I passed it down to my brothers little girl. My sister in law always put it in the washer and dryer. That's been twenty years ago. I resently saw it on another child, and it still looks good.

Blue Sky Organic Cotton just isn't a machine-wash candidate because it pills so easily and is so loosely spun. My swatch literally shredded in the wash, but it's such a loose, soft yarn to begin with that machine washing and drying won't benefit it much.

On the other hand, a tightly spun or mercerized cotton gets softer and fluffier the more it's washed and dried. Sugar N Cream is a tighter cotton that's kinda harsh on the hands while you're knitting it, but it definitely holds up well and feels better after a machine wash/dry cycle.

I just knit the drop-stitch vest out of SNB Nation. I knit it in a medium, in Paton's Grace, a mercerized cotton, and it's HUGE. Can i try to shrink this in the dryer, or should I just rip it out and knit the small?

"Listen to me. These people walk imaginary pets. On a f***ing leash. And they're all heavily armed and drunk. New York is boring. I'll call you later." -John Cusack in Midnight in the Garden of Good and EvilMy blog: http://cabbageeatsyarn.blogspot.com

When it comes to store-bought clothes, I'm a radical. I throw EVERYTHING i buy in the washer and dryer... (ok, maybe I'm not a radical. Maybe I'm just lazy)

When it comes to my hand knits, I'm a total sissy...

I usually use Eucalan for cleaning. I'm only now working on my first cotton sweater, so I can't say I've used the eucalan products on cotton before. Has anyone tried this with the same kind of sucess as with wool garments?

I just knit the drop-stitch vest out of SNB Nation. I knit it in a medium, in Paton's Grace, a mercerized cotton, and it's HUGE. Can i try to shrink this in the dryer, or should I just rip it out and knit the small?

I don't forsee mercerized cotton shrinking so I would suggest a rip and reknit.